Heuchera plant named ‘Raspberry Ice’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant named ‘Raspberry Ice’, characterized by its uniformly mounded plant habit; upper leaf surfaces gray green in color with contrasting darker gray green venation; lower leaf surfaces dark red purple in color; numerous showy pink flowers arranged on erect to outwardly spreading panicles; open and spreading panicle arrangement; and excellent garden performance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Heuchera sp.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Raspberry Ice’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant, botanically known as Heuchera sp. and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Raspberry Ice’.

The new Heuchera is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Heuchera cultivars having good plant vigor, dense and uniform plant habit, and showy and attractive flower and leaf coloration.

The new Heuchera was discovered by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Scottdale, Pa., from seedling progeny from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in May, 1996, of the Heuchera cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Heuchera cultivar Harmonic Convergence, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,111, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Heuchera was selected by the Inventor in May, 1997. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable flower and foliage coloration.

Asexual reproduction of the new Heuchera by cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Scottdale, Pa, since August 1997, has shown that the unique features of this new Heuchera are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Raspberry Ice has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Raspberry Ice’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Raspberry Ice’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Full and densely foliated; uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Upper leaf surfaces gray green in color with contrasting darker gray green venation; lower leaf surfaces dark red purple in color.

3. Numerous showy pink flowers arranged on erect to outwardly spreading panicles.

4. Open and spreading panicle arrangement.

5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Heuchera differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl, in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa. in the following characteristics:

1. Upper leaf surfaces of plants of the new Heuchera are gray green in color whereas upper leaf surfaces of plants of the cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl are bronze in color.

2. Leaves of plants of the new Heuchera are larger than leaves of plants of the cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl.

3. Plants of the new Heuchera have longer panicles than plants of the cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl.

4. Sepal color of plants of the new Heuchera is darker pink than sepal color of plants of the cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl.

Plants of the new Heuchera differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Harmonic Convergence, in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa., in the following characteristics:

1. Upper leaf surfaces of plants of the new Heuchera are more gray green in color than upper leaf surfaces of plants of the cultivar Harmonic Convergence.

2. Panicles of plants of the new Heuchera are not basally branching whereas panicles of plants of the cultivar Harmonic Convergence are basally branching.

3. Petals of plants of the new Heuchera are not recurved whereas petals of plants of the cultivar Harmonic Convergence are recurved.

Compared to plants of the sibling cultivar Silver Lode, U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently with this application, plants of the new Heuchera have more outwardly spreading panicles, develop fewer panicles per plant during the flowering season and also differ in flower color as plants of the cultivar Silver Lode have white-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Heuchera can be compared to plants of the cultivar Silver Scrolls, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,066. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa., plants of the new Heuchera differed from plants of the cultivar Silver Scrolls in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Heuchera have shorter panicles than plants of the cultivar Silver Scrolls.

2. Plants of the new Heuchera have pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Silver Scrolls have white-colored flowers.

3. Panicles of plants of the new Heuchera are not as upright as panicles of plants of the cultivar Silver Scrolls.

Plants of the new Heuchera can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Pewter Veil, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,984. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors in Scottdale, Pa., plants of the new Heuchera differed from plants of the cultivar Pewter Veil in the following characteristics:

1. Upper leaf surfaces of plants of the new Heuchera are gray green in color with contrasting darker gray green venation whereas upper leaf surfaces of plants of the cultivar Pewter Veil are gray green suffused with purple coloration.

2. Leaf margins of plants of the new Heuchera are slightly ruffled whereas leaf margins of plants of the cultivar Pewter Veil are not ruffled.

3. Plants of the new Heuchera have showy pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Pewter Veil have non-showy yellow green-colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs ilustrate the overall appearance of the new Heuchera, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Heuchera.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Raspberry Ice’.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical leaves of ‘Raspberry Ice’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe pinched plants grown in Keller, Tex. during the summer and fall outdoors under full sun and cultural conditions which approximate commercial practice. Plants used for the photographs and descriptions were grown as single plants in one-gallon containers and were about one year old. Measurements and numerical values represent averages taken from a group of flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Heuchera sp. cultivar Raspberry Ice.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Heuchera sp. cultivar Petite Bronze Pearl, not paented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Heuchera sp. cultivar Harmonic Convergence, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,111.

Propagation:

Type.—By cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 15 days at 23° C. Winter: About 21 days at 17° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Summer: About 45 days at 23° C. Winter: About 60 days at 17° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial; rosette plant habit with leaves developing from the base; densely foliated; full, mounded and uniform plant habit with upright to outwardly angled panicles with showy pink-colored flowers. Vigorous and robust growth habit.

Plant size.—Height: Soil level to top of foliar plane: About 18 cm. Soil level to top of panicles: About 42 cm. Diameter or spread: About 48 cm.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Basal rosette, single. Length: About 9.6 cm. Width: About 9.4 cm. Shape: Rougly ovate to cordate. Apex: Mostly rounded. Base: Cordate. Margin: Crenate and serrulate with fine ciliation; slightly ruffled. Texture: Rough; lower surface with sparse pubescence. Ventation pattern: Palmate, reticulate. Color: Young and mature foliage, upper surface: Closest to, but more gray green than 198A. Young and mature foliage, lower surface: Closest to, but more red purple than between 79A and 79B. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Much darker gray green than 198A, close to 202A. Petiole: Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to, but more dull than 187A.

Flower description:

Appearance/arrangement.—Single campanulate flowers arranged on numerous erect to outwardly spreading panicles; panicles with open and spreading arrangement and with more than 75 flowers and flower buds per flowering stem with 3 to 5 flowers per lateral pedicel. Flowers face outward or slightly drooping. Flowering continuous with at least 15 flowering stems per plant developing throughout the flowering period. Flowers not persistent. Flowers not fragrant.

Time of flowering.—Under natural conditions, plant flower in the late spring.

Inflorescence longevity.—Individual inflorescences last about one week on the plant.

Inflorescece size.—Length: About 21 cm. Diameter: About 5 cm.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 5 mm. Depth (height): About 5.5 mm.

Flower buds.—Height: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Shape: Spherical to ovoid. Color, at stage of showing color: 71A to 71C.

Sepals.—Quantity/arrangement: Five sepals; radially symmetrical and fused at base. Length: About 4.5 mm. Width: About 2.2 mm. Shape: Elongate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Pubescent. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 71B to 71C. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Pink; ground color close to 155D and covered with red purple, 71B to 71C, spots. With subsequent development, spots become less pronounced and sepal color becomes lighter pink.

Petals.—Quantity/arrangement: Five minute petals; radially symmetrical and fused at base. Length: About 3 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Narrowly spatulate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: White covered with red purple, 71C, spots. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 155D.

Bracts.—Quantity/arrangement: One at base of flower; leaf-like. Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Roughly ovate. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Attenuate, sessile. Margin: Deeply serrate with ciliation. Texture: Smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Darker than 71A.

Peduncle.—Strength: Moderately strong; flexible. Aspect: Mostly upright to angled outwardly to 45° from vertical. Length: About 43 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture: Smooth. Color: Mostly green, close to 148A with some anthocyanin, 59A.

Pedicels.—Strength: Moderately strong; wiry. Aspect: About 45 to 50° from vertical. Length: About 2.6 cm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Smooth. Color: Mostly green, close to 148A with some anthocyanin, 59A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: Five per flower. Anther shape: Bi-lobed. Anther length: About 1 mm. Anther color: Close to 23A. Amount of pollen: Moderate. Pollen color: 7A. Gynoecium: Pistil number: One per flower. Pistil length: About 2.5 mm. Stigma shape: Forked, linerar. Stigma color: 155D. Style color: 155D. Ovary color: 155D.

Seed/fruit.—Seed/fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Heuchera has not been observed on plants grown under commercial conditions.

Temperature tolerance:

Plants of the new Heuchera have demonstrated good tolerance to night temperatures as low as −35° C. and day temperatures as high as 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant named ‘Raspberry Ice’, as illustrated and described. 